Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

"How many do you think will survive until the later stages?"

Ethan Cooper's mouth shut tight again. Any attempt at answering would likely have resulted in me asking, "And on what grounds?"

Anyone with any awareness would keep quiet at that point.

"I figured that it's better to focus on surviving the early stages rather than gambling on making it to the later ones."

"Y-yes, I understand."

"So, what exactly brings you here? I doubt you came just to confirm that I'm a Beta tester."

"The truth is, I have a proposal for you."

Having regained his composure, Ethan leaned forward and spoke with a serious expression, as if ready to present a life-changing offer.

"Would you be willing to join me in rescuing people?"

I stared at Ethan in silence. For someone to make such an absurd proposal, they must have a reason.

"Why?" I asked.

"Too many innocent lives are being lost. It's too cruel..."

"Okay, got it. Goodbye now. What was the command for 'kick out' again?"

"N-no, wait! Besides the moral reasons, there's also a very practical one!"

Ethan , who had tried to set a noble tone, quickly switched gears, sweating nervously.

He should've started with the practical part. Trying to play the hero wouldn't work on me. Even if he had been sincere, I was ready to turn him down, but with such an obvious ulterior motive? Definitely not.

"Alright, let's hear the practical reason then."

"To put it simply, we don't have enough people. There's not enough population."

World Breaker is a game where the goal is to rebuild civilization. But how can you do that without people? You can't be a leader if there's no one to lead.

"In the game, the objective was to find a small village in the early stages and develop it into a thriving city. But we're in the real world now. There aren't any pre-existing towns like that."

"That's true. Besides, we're in a city already, and people are scattered around everywhere."

"Exactly. I believe the system wants us to use the people gathered in these safe zones to rebuild civilization. But what can we possibly achieve with just fifteen people?"

I nodded at Ethan's words.

He wasn't wrong. All the survivors currently in the safe zone were fighters. They could defend themselves, but none of them were producers, artisans, or builders. On top of that, each of them had become confident and resourceful. They'd be more interested in ruling than being ruled.

"It seems that the only way to increase the population is by bringing out the people who are hiding. For the sake of the future, we need to rescue them now."

"Hmm."

He was right, at least in some respects. If we wanted to sustain a future civilization, we needed more people. And those people likely wouldn't resist being rescued. Normally, they might be suspicious, but in the current life-or-death scenario, they'd be too desperate to refuse.

Still, my perspective differed.

"I'm not so sure about this."

"What do you mean? If we leave them, they'll all die! The whole thing will collapse before we even get started!"

"And who exactly will kill them? The system?"

"Excuse me?"

"The system summoned these skeletons, right? So, if all those people die, wouldn't it mean that the system is the one killing them?"

"Well... I guess, but..."

Ethan fumbled with his words, clearly caught off guard. It was a simple logical chain, yet one that seemed to have escaped him.

The system summoned the skeletons. The skeletons were indiscriminately killing people. Therefore, the system was responsible for killing them.

It wasn't wrong, at least not on the surface.

But here's where the paradox lay:

The system's goal was to rebuild civilization through the Beta testers. So, why would it kill the very people needed to rebuild it? Doing so would essentially nullify its own purpose, undermining everything it was trying to achieve.

"The system doesn't want to kill everyone. It's simply issuing a threat."

A threat coated in blood and death, yes, but still a threat.

From what I'd seen, people's courage had been shaky at best. They killed goblins, sure, but they didn't even glance at the quests afterward. They feared weaker monsters but spoke recklessly to stronger humans. And despite worrying about their safety, they still clung to the hope that rescue teams would come and society would return to normal.

"The system is forcing them to face reality."

The message was clear: Rescue isn't coming. If you don't act, you will die. You are not safe. There are only two ways to ensure your survival: Either you gain strength yourself or submit to someone stronger.

It was a brutal, but necessary process. After all, if the monsters didn't kill people, it would be humans killing humans. Just like that old man earlier who nearly got himself murdered by Gavin Park for throwing insults.

I opened my mouth to share my thoughts with Ethan .

"What you said wasn't wrong, but what I'm trying to say is—"

Suddenly, a bright light flashed before my eyes.

"Savior of Lives"

Category: Side Quest

Details: Due to the monster wave, many lives are being lost. Rescue those trembling in fear from the undead threat and bring them back to the village. A minimum of ten people must be rescued, or the quest will be considered a failure.

Reward: Beginner Equipment Set (based on class)

"...that talking about this is just a waste of time!"

"What?"

"There's no reason why people should need a reason to save others! If those of us with strength don't act now, what will become of the world?"

"Wait, weren't you just saying—"

"Come on, let's go! People are waiting for us to save them!"

With my chest burning with righteous fire, I stood up energetically. Maybe, deep inside, there was still a spark of humanity left in me after all the madness I'd seen.

Yes, this warmth filling my heart—it must be compassion.

It definitely wasn't greed for the quest reward.

Definitely not.

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